The Evil Beginning
by zippyfairy
Summary: Ever wonder how Rin and Len came to be vocaloids? This is their story about how they came to sing their first song, meet their costars, and learn the less-than-glamorous world of a celebrity.
1. An Unexpected Meeting

**So maybe I shouldn't be writing this since I already have "Behind the Songs" to write, but the idea was just too tempting and I hope you guys will follow this story as well ^^**

**Enjoy~**

"Rin!" I stumbled out of my hiding place to assist my sister, running parallel to her path, jumping over obstacles and dodging through fences.

Just as we had planned, she hurled our tattered backpack through an opening in a wall and scaled a fire escape ladder.

Without hesitation, I scooped up the bag and was about to high tail it away from the scene when I noticed something. A man across the street was staring at me. Not in scorn or disgust as I was accustomed to, but in curious wonder. I didn't have time to ponder this however, for the sounds of police sirens echoed from down the street and forced me to move.

Sprinting down a series of alleys and abandoned buildings, I made my way down a pathway that no one would be able to repeat without the experiences my sister and I had gone through in the place.

I turned the final corner and found Rin pacing back and forth in the all but dead field outside the crawl space we had to call home. When she caught site of me, she breathed a sigh of relief and launched herself at me.

"I thought something happened when you weren't here before me," she admitted.

I hugged her back before replying, "I'd never let you down like that."

Satisfied, we both dropped to our knees to relish our rewards. We were engulfed in the sweet scents of food. Real food. We hadn't seen something so glorious for days. If we had, I'm sure we wouldn't have resorted to stealing.

Rin and I ate to our heart's content, starved like an hourglass with no sand.

Only… after we had finished and stashed our leftovers, we heard a voice. It was a sort of feigned confidence that resided underneath each word that had me and Rin reeling with curiosity.

So we went to investigate, taking the high road of our trashy labyrinth. Peeking through various hidden spots, we searched until we found a man not too far from the exit to the street. With a start, I realized it was the same man that I had seen staring at me earlier that day. He wore the same apparel he had been adorned in earlier: a gray three-piece suit with a shocking red tie. Sunglasses hung from his collar.

"Is there anybody here?" he called out.

I shared a glance with my sister. Both our eyes were open in shock. We watched for a while longer, not sure what to do.

"Maybe we should talk to him?" I suggested in a hushed voice.

Rin's grasp on my arm tightened. "I don't think we should risk it."

But… if he found our hiding place, we will have lost our single safe haven; the one place we could call home. I wouldn't let him take that away. Not from me. Not from Rin.

I dropped down from my hiding spot, releasing Rin's fingers. Her hand was stretched out as if she could grasp me back, but it was already too late.

Landing with a soft thud, I slowly turned my face up to examine our mysterious visitor. He seemed just as surprised to see me as Rin and I had been to see that he had found one of our secret entrances.

His expression of shock quickly turned into one of cocky triumph. "So the magician reveals himself. And where is your beautiful assistant?"

I made an effort not to glance up at where Rin was surely deciding whether or not to join me.

"Get out," I growled.

"Ooh, our magician doesn't have much showmanship."

I stood up from where I had landed in a crouch. "Quit playing games. You're not welcome here."

"Not yet anyway," he agreed with me. "But maybe after you hear my… proposition…" He reached a hand into his coat and pulled out a stack of crisp fifty dollar bills.

I froze. "What kind of proposition?"

He waved the money in the air teasingly. "So this interests you, does it?"

I remained silent. Rin chose that moment to drop down beside me.

"Ah, so she appears as well."

Rin took my hand. "Cut the small talk," she insisted. "What do you want from us?"

"So impatient," he drawled, shaking his head with a smile. "Well, here's my deal. I'll pay for all of your living expenses as well as entertainment and recreation if you agree to become my business partners." He held out the money to us once more and raised an eyebrow.

Rin hesitantly reached out to take the temptation, but I stopped her with my hand. "What kind of business?"

The man smiled.


	2. A Long Forgotten Talent

**Thanks for all the reviews and support for this story ^^ 3 you all!**

**Yeah, I think I forgot to put a disclaimer in the first chapter, so here it is. I don't own any of these characters and even if you decide to sue me, you won't get much :P**

**I rarely ever reread my chapters before publishing so yes, I do know there are typos and such. ^^;**

I was sort of in a daze. Somehow, my sister and I had found our way into the backseat of a car. A _car_. A real motorized vehicle!

So what had happened was that the mysterious man turned out to be a marketing agent. His name was Tyler Stuart, but he wanted us to call him Ty. He said that we looked very "commercial" and "unique", but I was almost positive that those two words were antonymous.

Rin and I, after being assured that we weren't being tricked into being turned in to the authorities, agreed that maybe, just _maybe_ we would work with them. But honestly… it wasn't so much that we wanted to be stars. We just didn't want to be scrounging for food or ducking under the radar any longer.

So long story short, we decided to enter the world of entertainment.

A sudden cold shot through me at the prospect of going to a place we didn't know. We were leaving our maze of confusion and protection and entering a world that we knew nothing about.

Rin gave my hand a reassuring squeeze and I calmed down slightly. At least if I was going to be lost, I was going to have my sister by my side.

At this point, Ty was the only person Rin and I sort of trusted which is why when he handed us over to someone that he referred to as a "talent agent", we were terrified.

"Don't worry," a man with a nametag that read 'Devon Parsons' said, "I'm only going to help you find your inner passion."

I blinked. Did dodging and running count as a talent?

Devon's black hair was slicked back in a way that made him look as if he had just taken a swim in a lake. His clothes were less formal than what Ty wore, but still more extravagant than anything Rin or I had ever worn.

"So I'll leave it to you then, Dev?" Ty asked, tapping a cigarette out of a box.

"Leave it to me," Devon responded obediently.

Ty left soon after that and Devon circled us, examining. We waited for a moment, sitting through his speculation, before Rin burst out, "Okay, you're not going to find out anything about us if you don't say something."

Devon paused for a moment before chuckling. "I suppose you're correct. Well, why don't we explore your talents, shall we?" He instructed us to take a seat in the little sitting area we occupied, then he disappeared into a back room, only to return with a list of potential passions. "So, first off, can either of you paint a decent picture or something of the like?"

"Nope," I finalized.

"I have trouble drawing stick figures," Rin ageed.

Taking a pencil off the coffee table between us, Devon made a mark on his sheet of paper. "What about acting?"

After fetching a woman who specialized in acting and putting us through a couple trials, Devon declared that we were okay, but not passable to make a career out of it.

And so on it went. A couple hours passed and we had only gone through half of his list. We were on the M's now and Devon as us about musicianship.

Rin pondered for a second. "Not particularly…"

"I _used_ to, but it was a really long time ago," I admitted, remembering vague figures in a bright room, reviewing and reviewing the same tune over and over again.

Devon heaved a sigh. "Never mind. Why don't you guys take lunch and we'll continue afterwards."

Both of our heads snapped up. Food? _Free _food?

Devon, hardly noticing our change in mood, gestured towards a door and gave us a few simple directions which we followed.

We neared a couple official-looking double doors. From behind the barrier, we could hear laughter and conversation, but more importantly, we could smell meat being grilled, vegetables being fried, and desserts being mixed. Halleluiah.

Barely able to contain ourselves, we burst through the doors and inhaled the aromas, took in the sights, and dreamed about tasting the food.

Our dreams became realities because we sampled everything that was set up in the cafeteria, for it was buffet style. Never before had we been blessed with so much food and the promise of falling asleep without the weight of starvation upon us. Rin and I were so full and so content afterwards, we could hardly move when Devon came to find us an hour later, saying that it was time to get back to work.

Apparently Devon had new plans for us because we were instead led into a more professional-looking studio. He told us once again to wait for him there. I took this opportunity to share my thoughts with my better half.

"Rin, what do you think?"

"About?"

"About this deal?"

Rin sighed. "I can't say I like it, but I think that it's better than letting ourselves starve."

"That's just what I was thinking."

"So what do we do?"

I glanced around at the busy bodies of employees that were certainly being underpaid. "We tough it out and do what they say."

As a sign of agreement, or perhaps just in a need for comfort, Rin grasped my hand in hers and we sat there, watching a man behind a camera exclaim inspiringly to a green-haired female. My hand unconsciously went to the chain around my neck.

A few minutes passed like that until something caught my eye. I pulled my hand from Rin's and got out of my chair to retrieve a familiar stringed instrument leaning carelessly against the wall.

Rin eyed the guitar skeptically. "Are you sure we're allowed to use that?"

"If we aren't, I'll just give it back. No harm done."

She continued to glare at it.

"What?"

"Can you still play it?"

"We're about to find out, aren't we?" And with that, I held the instrument up in both hands, experimentally strumming a few notes and turning knobs to make the pitches sound more precise. I'm not completely sure why or how my hands moved the way they did, but I guess skills never truly _fade_, but they just sort escape to the recesses of our minds.

I strummed the strings in a way that felt familiar, then began to pick out a tune from my memories.

Rin flinched as she remembered as well. We had first heard the melody in an outdoor concert that we had snuck into. Rin was immediately taken by the song so I did everything in my power to find something- anything that could recreate the melody. I was lucky enough to find a small store. Two necklaces sat side by side in the window, both of the most common musical clefs engraved and painted gold in the black ovals that hung from the necklace's gold chains. When I inquired about them to the old woman who ran the store, she showed me that they were musical lockets. The same tune that we had heard at the concert rang out and entranced me. I had to have them. Of course I had no money then, so I was forced to turn away in disappointment.

Every day for a month I walked by that shop. I don't know why I was so determined to acquire something that I knew would never be in my power to acquire, but nonetheless, I repeated this routine daily. That is, until one day the lights in the usually bright storefront were off. In a panic, I rushed to the window to see that everything was in its place still. Obviously I was very confused.

At that moment though, I picked up the conversation of two housewives just to the right of me. They spoke of how the poor owner had passed away in her sleep, but had no heirs or close relatives to inherit the little business. The government was supposed to cease the land in only a week. So I made up my mind.

That night, I fashioned a nice little device out of what used to be a paperclip and broke into the abandoned store. No lights went on, no sirens. It was as if the woman had purposely left everything like this… waiting for something.

Anyways, without hesitation, I crept to the window and snatched the necklaces from their box and sprinted all the way home, through Rin's and my maze. Tying a long blade of grass around the box, it seemed just like a birthday present. A long overdue thing if you ask me.

The look on my sister's face was priceless when I handed her the gift – even more so when she opened it and discovered its contents.

Ever since, we've worn the chains as a sort of connection to each other.

I sat there in the modeling studio, thinking of all these things, picking out a tune that Rin and I had listened to countless times.

My sister waited a few beats before joining in with the only instrument she had – her voice. What a lovely thing it was too. Strangely, she remembered almost every word from that song that we had heard. Perhaps she was improvising, I wouldn't have known.

I joined her perfectly clear notes with an underlying harmony and for a while, it was like we were in our own world. A world of songs and rhythms that we didn't know existed.

It was only when Rin's voice sang out the last pure note and the guitar's strings vibrated the last chord that I was brought back to the studio.

It was also then that we noticed how silent it had gotten. The cameraman had ceased his interjections and the bustling of stagehands had quieted. Rin and I shared a worried glance. Had we already done something wrong to make them hate us? Certainly we couldn't have. Not so soon.

Suddenly, the sound of clapping ensued. Just one pair. Then another. And another. Finally the entire room was in applause – even the green-haired model whom we had stolen the spotlight from was clapping for us.

In my inspection of the room, I saw Devon returning with a clipboard, but his attention was on us, jaw open in awe. But what caught more of my attention was Ty, way in the back of the crowd. A victorious smile lit his features.

**I hope you enjoyed it ^^;**

**Please review~**


	3. A Nighttime Promise

**I **_**was**_** going to write a disclaimer here, but then I decided that one for the entire story would do… right?**

The next week was crazy. Like, crazier than the time Rin and I thought it would be a good idea to raid a fruit stand during a fair. First, every famous songwriter Ty could find was put on the job to create our first jobs. News of our hidden talent spread like wildfire and we were suddenly the talk of every employee we passed. Random official-looking people would glance at us, wondering how we of all people could've possessed any amount of talent.

Ty, of course, was busy organizing his division to get word out about the newest pop star twins to the general public. But before he left us to our business, he introduced us to a woman who explained that she was going to be our manager. Her name was Camille Winters and she certainly was certainly younger than I thought a manager should be, but then again, what did I know about this world?

She was maybe in her early twenties with a head of neat, fire-red hair. It had been gelled back and tied into a wispy ponytail. Camille wore a sort of feminine suit in a most attractive shade of green.

She had set us up in an upscale apartment – after a couple of confusing days spent in spare studio rooms – with an endless supply of food and even a personal maid and a cook that left at night and arrived early the next morning. We were so overwhelmed with the food, furniture, and all together standards of living that when we went to sleep the first night, there was a strange sort of charge in the atmosphere.

Of course Rin and I slept in the same room. If felt weird _not _to after all. So after we had pushed the second twin bed from one of the rooms into the other and right up against the matching bed, we basically completed the transformation by moving the second desk into the almost empty room, creating a sleeping room and a work room instead of two bedrooms. It just felt… _right_. You know?

We had turned off the lights and snuggled into our beds, freshly showered and wearing clothes that Camille had been resourceful enough to have delivered to us when I felt Rin's hand creep under my blanket, searching. I met it with my own and we held hands in the strange darkness. There had always been the light from the moon and stars back in our street home. The only source of light in this place at nighttime came from the single window in the room spilling filtered light onto our covers.

"Len, do you think everything will work out?" Rin's voice murmured.

"I don't know," I whispered back, "but even if it doesn't, we'll always be together."

She squeezed my hand tighter. "Is that a promise?"

Subconsciously, my hand reached up and grasped the miniature music box that hung from my neck. "Always."

Rin must've been holding her locket as well because suddenly the quiet night was filled with the tinkling of our synchronized music lockets. We fell asleep before the song had run its course.

_Knock. Knock. Knock._

My eyes blinked open and I sat straight up. It took me a moment to remember where I was, but after I figured that part out, I untangled my fingers from my sister's and hurriedly made for the door which endured the abuse of someone's knuckles for a good five minutes.

I was greeted by Camille – now wearing a sunshine yellow suit. She wore a wide smile and looked as official as ever.

"Are you two ready to hear the songs our writers have been working on for the last week?" she asked in an almost annoyingly peppy voice.

"Now?" Rin asked, sidling up beside me. I hadn't realized she'd gotten up.

"Of course, aren't you excited?" she demanded, unfazed by our lack of enthusiasm.

"They're done already?" I questioned, amazed.

Camille produced a notebook from the outer pocket of her handbag and flipped through some pages. "We've got some of the best songwriters on this job. They're paid a great deal for their quality and quantity, along with their sense of time."

Rin and I didn't even try to argue or ask questions about that one and just went with it, allowing Camille to load us into a car that was heading to the studio.

When we arrived there, we were led into a room that had been explained to us as "strictly off-limits". This would be exciting. A glance at Rin confirmed that she agreed.

When the door opened, we realized why the room was off-limits. Thousands of dollars of technology and equipment filled the room. Screens lined the walls and at least ten pairs of headphones lined the desks, all connected to a central sound system in the center of the space.

The screens weren't being used at the moment, but workers and artists were busy, tinkering with buttons on the central sound system, reading from official-looking binders, checking and rechecking music scores, and making important phone calls. Or at least I thought they were important until I heard one man say something along the lines of, "Yeah… _yeah Mom_, I'll pick up the _eggs_. _No_. No, I can't right now. No, we're about to meet the artis- _Mom_. I'm _leaving_ Mom." He promptly hung up. I didn't ask any questions.

"Okay everyone, if you'd all just get organized, you'd realize that the stars are here," a man who reminded me of Ty announced to everyone. He took a seat at the U-shaped desk and motioned for us to sit beside him. Holding out his hand to me, he said, "Nice to finally meet my work-partners. My name is Riley Becker. I'm in charge of making sure all these lay-abouts get their jobs done." He grinned to show that he was kidding… for the most part.

After his introduction, everyone became organized really quickly and Riley showed us how to use the headphones and handed us scores and lyrics so that we could follow along when the music began.

We were handed two songs: one for me, and one for Rin. The top of mine read, "Nostalgia" and the top of Rin's read, "That Broken Memory". My first thought was, "cliché", but I didn't say so.

Without too much delay, the songs began in our headphones. My sister and I concentrated, following the lyrics and trying to fit the words with the music.

My final conclusion was that these songwriters had no idea what originality was. Or… maybe they did and that's why there were so many famous songs that sounded like these. But the results remained the same. The songs didn't sound extraordinarily new or different. Nothing special. Just another song to listen to on the radio, but nothing you would remember for years to come.

When the second song had hummed its final note, I glanced up from my sheet music into Rin's eyes. We shared an uneasy glance before turning to the rest of the room.

Their faces were a mix of pride, accomplishment, anticipation.

"Well?" Riley urged. He was smiling as well, obviously thinking he had a hit on his hands.

"I hated it," Rin said finally.

Some gasps filled the room as I replied, "That's just what I was thinking."

**I hoped you guys enjoyed that! Sorry I haven't published for a while. I haven't had the time because –insert lame excuse here-. **

**If you've got the time, please review. They make me happy and encourage updates! ^^;**


	4. A Chaotic Week with Cliche Songs

**Okay, so I think this fanfic will end up being about 20 chapters long including an epilogue. **

**Thank you for continuing reading this! **

How can so few words trigger such a chaotic reaction? All we said was that we didn't like the song.

The entire studio was in a maelstrom of confusion, disappointment, and disbelief. Rin and I tried to yell above the crowd, pleading with them that it wasn't as bad as they thought. It wasn't that we _hated_ the song. It was just that… well, yeah, we hated the song, but that didn't mean we wouldn't _sing_ it.

"Riley!" I called over the paranoia, tugging on the sleeve of his expensive-looking suit.

He glanced at me with an exhausted expression.

"We'll still sing them, Riley!" I practically shouted.

He cupped a hand to his ear and I repeated my agreement. He blinked, then waved me off, scribbled a note on a sticky note pad and handed it to me.

_If you hate the song, you'll hate singing it. Don't worry about it, _the note said.

Riley gave me a half-smile and turned back to trying to calm down his employees.

I was about to jump in and help him when a hand pulled me back.

I turned to see Camille, a disapproving grimace on her face. She already had a hold of my sister and she guided us out of the room and through the complicated hallways to the lounge Rin and I had sat in when we had first arrived.

Camille immediately got down to business, sitting down and taking out one of those calendar/notebook things that was already covered in carefully planned events. Rin and I glanced at each other, both wondering if we had just made a big mistake.

The scratching of Camille's pencil stopped and my sister and I both turned to fix her gaze with ones of our own.

"You two realize that you've just ruined every date planned for the next month, right?" she informed us monotonously.

"I'm guessing this is the wrong time to say that I, in fact, did _not_ know that," Rin commented, trying to diffuse the tension.

"You'd be correct," Camille replied, not laughing.

I decided it was time to intervene before we really ticked off our manager. "Look Camille, it wasn't really something we thought about. We probably should have, but honestly, those songs were so…"

"Overdone," Rin supplied.

I nodded. "Yeah."

Camille closed her eyes, rubbing her temples, agitated. A full minute passed before she reopened them. "Okay, I'll talk to the writers. Maybe we can find a workaround."

Camille should _never_ become a fortune teller. Ever.

The two weeks were filled with visits to the studio that Rin and I came to call the Boom Room because every time we leave, we leave behind some amount of chaos.

This happens because even though Camille spoke with Riley, they aren't turning out anything that Rin and I enjoy. They're all songs about things like love, heartbreak, and loneliness. Some had forgettable beats, others had bizarrely unattractive qualities. We began to wonder whether our opinions were skewed.

We were almost out of hope when one day, we sat eating some form of pasta in the cafeteria. The chair across from us clattered against the floor and we looked up to see Ty joining us with a bowl of soup and a grilled cheese sandwich.

He takes a sip of his coffee – Ty doesn't seem to drink anything else – before speaking. "So I've heard that we have to move out the release date of your new songs by at least a month. Is there something you two would like to share with me?"

Rin's eyes were trained on her tray, guilty. I guess it was my responsibility then. "The songs they're writing are horrible, Ty."

Ty nodded slowly, as if expecting this and took a bite of his soup-soaked sandwich.

Rin added, "It's like they've written the same song five times and they're hoping that by the fifth time, we'll like it."

Another sip of coffee. "Those idiots."

We were both appropriately stunned. Ty had just openly insulted his coworkers and if that wasn't unprofessional, then I don't know what is.

Taking notice of our confusion, Ty made to explain. "Do you know why you don't like any of their songs?"

"Because they're easy to forget?"

"Because they just suck?"

Ty chuckled and shook his head. "They're not working the angle I want them to."

**Ooh, cliff hanger, but not really o_O**

**Please review? ^^;**


	5. Ty's Promise  Protection

**Okay, before you keep reading, I have to say something: this is DEFINITELY not supposed to be incest! I PROMISE.**

**Oh, and did you guys hear about how they're coming out with a SOE manga? Thanks for telling me, Chikanpo! (If anyone has information on this, could you message me? PLEASE?)**

"Um… what?" I asked, blanking.

Ty flashed a knowing grin. "Do you know why I asked you two specifically to come with me?"

At this point I probably should have been wondering that, but really, it never occurred to me that Ty, being the big business, marketing buff that he was, could've gotten practically anyone in the world he wanted to do the job that my sister and I were currently filling. I mean, haven't I heard all the stories before about the lines of people auditioning for roles that were never destined to be theirs that went on for miles? So why us…?

"I give up," Rin announced, growing tired of the silence.

"Enlighten us," I suggested.

Ty set his coffee mug down and sighed. "You guys are, well, almost identical. You're pretty cute. But most importantly, when I saw you guys that day, you two were protecting each other's backs as if it was your own life on the line. You two care for each other on a magnitude that is extremely difficult to comprehend and I wanted to see how that passion could be translated into, well at this point, singing."

Rin and I stared at him, blinking. "Could you explain the beginning again?" I asked.

"And maybe the end too?"

"While you're at it, could you repeat the middle?"

"And how about a bit slower this time?"

Ty laughed. "Don't worry, you two. Let me have a little talk with Riley and see what I can manage."

When we continued to stare at him with unsure eyes, he reached out and mussed my hair. "Seriously, I'll handle it."

What choice did we have but to believe him?

I'm not going to lie. When Camille showed up at our door a week later with a determined grimace on her face, Rin and I didn't feel any more optimistic about our prospects than we had a week earlier.

It didn't seem like Camille thought the meeting's results would be any different either.

Once again we followed our manager along the hallway to the big room with the headphones and screens where we were wordlessly handed two folders.

Examining the folders, Rin and I noticed there were two songs yet again. In elegant script, the words: _Servant of Evil_ were printed on the cover of my folder. Stealing a glance at my twin's I noticed that our songs must've been connected because hers read: _Daughter of Evil_ in the same font.

I met Rin's eyes and we shared a silent conversation that basically said, "Well, how much worse can they be from the previous ones?"

So we sat down, put on the expensive headphones, and sat back, closing our eyes in synchronization. I felt like pulling on my hoodie for added effect.

As always, Rin's song started up and I was surprised this time to hear that the melody was unlike anything I'd ever heard before. The high pitches and the harmony… they fit so strangely together. I especially liked the pauses in the music where lines of dialogue were meant to fit. About thirty seconds passed during which I only listened to the instrumentals. Then I leaned forward to share the script with my sister, curious as to what the song was actually about. And I was astounded.

An entire story was told in just four minutes.

By the end of it, I felt a sort of anger kindling within me. This had little to do with the fact that Rin always got to go first when we listened to songs, nor did it have anything to do with how the songwriters waited so long before giving us something worthwhile. No, this had to do with the song itself. Because Rin dies. My sister was meant to play a role that passed away at the hands of angry citizens.

At one point, when the bell tower struck three o' clock per se, my rage blinded me and I had to close my eyes and take a few deep breaths. But of course, it was only a song and the way that it was able to drag such an emotion from me was a promising sign.

Then it was my turn.

My song was a lot softer spoken, but loud at the same time. Because even though Rin's told of the story in a general outsider's perspective, mine was sung from my point of view: the servant. And I found out that my rage was for nothing because… I died.

It's difficult to explain why, but I actually felt… happier knowing this – happy knowing that Rin survived, even if it was all fictional.

When the last note played and died, someone turned the lights back on (they had been shut off so that we could make use of the screens in front by rolling the lyrics across them).

The room was dead silent, caused by anxiety, worry, expectation, disappointment, and… hope, I realized.

"Well?" Riley prompted.

Rin and I shared another glance – the same way we had at the very first meeting when we had rejected their ideas. But this time, our mouths turned up into smiles, replacing the confusion that had been there for much too long.

**I hope you liked it ^^; **

**Next chapter will introduce more vocaloids (in case you were wondering). **

**Reviews are always appreciated~**


	6. Meeting the Cast

**I loved the reviews!**

**I did find it weird that a lot of you liked how Len was okay with dying o_O **

**Get ready to meet some new vocaloids! (well, okay, not new, but you get the picture)**

Having finally agreed to publicize one of their songs (in this case two), Rin and I alternated between whistling and singing our parts to each other while we got ready to head out to the studio, straightening each others' bows and ties and such.

Camille showed up, exactly on time as usual, clad in a suit of orange that clashed horribly with her hair- I stopped that feminine thought in its tracks and shook my head clear.

"So Camille, what are we doing today really?" Rin asked, tugging the door to our apartment shut and locking it with keys attached to a yellow treble cleft keychain.

Camille, animated as usual, pulls out her famous black, leather notebook and flips pages until she finds what she wants. "No shooting or recording today. Your fellow actors are down at the studio waiting to meet you. They were all driven down yesterday to meet the director and receive the scripts. They won't be singing in the videos, but they will be essential, as you know. You've heard the song probably more than I have."

We nodded in unison, sharing a loaded glance to confirm.

"Well, it looks like our blue prince, red mercenary, and green maiden are here already," our manager commented, nodding towards three identical black, tinted vans that looks as though a tank couldn't leave a scratch in them.

I wondered to myself what they would be like. Would they like us? How much did they know about us? If they knew anything at all, would they be angry? I grasped Rin's hand in mine and shuffled out of the car, making the now-familiar trip through the studio's glass doors, down the hallway to the lounge.

I hardly stepped across the threshold before a flash of red barreled into me. My hand was ripped from my sister's and I fell in a heap on the floor, confused and disoriented. Groaning, I pushed myself up and accepted Rin's helping hand.

"_Whoa_!" A girl dressed in a revealing red leather… um… top, short ruffled skirt and red leather gloves. Grasped in one of her gloved hands was a bottle of sake that explained the tinge of red across her cheeks. "You're the evil twins, right?" She exclaimed.

"Um… if you mean that you're in our videos, then yeah, I guess so," Rin supplied.

The girl in red slapped my back in a friendly sort of way. Ow. "I'm your mercenary! The name's Sakine Meiko."

"It's nice to meet you, Meiko," I replied awkwardly.

Meiko paused and stared at me.

"What?" I asked, feeling self-conscious.

"You know, you're kind of a shota."

"Um… thanks?"

She made a sound that sounded like "tch". "You don't know what that means, do you?"

I shook my head no.

She continued to stare at me for a couple more seconds before bursting out laughing. Slapping Rin on the back, she exclaimed, "You keep your eye on that jailbait!" The she stumbled out of the room laughing and called over her shoulder, "Can't wait to work with you guys!"

Rin and I glanced at each other.

"What was-"

"I don't know."

We shrugged in unison as a boy boasting a mop of blue hair strode towards us. "Hey," he greeted, "my name's Kaito. Sorry about Meiko. She can be a little… difficult sometimes." He wore a long white sort of… robe. Was that what it was called? Around his neck was a long blue scarf. The devil in me wanted to tug on it like it was a leash. He held out his hand to me and I shook it.

"My name is Len and this is Rin. So you two know each other?"

He grinned. "Of course. Meiko and I are in a lot of these sort of videos together. Usually Miku's singing them though." Kaito hesitated. "Have you met Miku yet?"

"No," I replied.

"We just got here a few minutes ago," Rin explained.

Kaito seemed to relax. "Okay, well when you do, I have to warn you, she can be little… abrasive."

Rin and I frowned at him. "What do you mean?"

He bit his lip uneasily. "Just… just don't expect to be treated… kindly."

"Why? What-" My words were interrupted by the door slamming open.

A girl with two long green-blue ponytails stepped through and walked past us in silence to the coffee and tea preparation table to fix herself a cup of tea. She wore a gray fitted top and a black skirt adorned with a green belt and tie. Her socks and arm warmers were impossibly long and covered her limbs almost completely.

"Hey Miku," Kaito greeted pointedly, raising his to fix herself a cup of tea. She wore a gray fitted top and a black skirt adorned with a green belt and tie. Her socks and arm warmers were impossibly long and covered her limbs almost completely.

"Hey Miku," Kaito greeted pointedly, raising his eyebrows at us.

Without turning, she rose a hand as if to wave then quickly resumed her tea-making task.

"Oh, um, my name is Len and this is my sister Rin," I introduced quickly.

She pivoted, letting her eyes graze over us. I couldn't help but feel the same way I had when Devon was looking for our talent – as if she were inspecting us and her approval would be either the beginning or the end of my practically nonexistent career. "You two are the stars of the videos, right? Rin and Len Kagamine?" Her voice was so sweet. I could see why she was usually the singer in the videos that Kaito had mentioned. A smile lit her face and for a moment, I thought that Kaito had been joking and that Miku wasn't so bad at all. At least, until she said, "I don't know what Ty was thinking when he picked you two up. Doesn't he know that kids don't have the restraint or composure to handle pop star life? Oh, he'll never learn." She picked up her teacup and, without another word, strode out the doors, quietly humming an unfamiliar song to herself.

**I hope you liked it! **

**Sorry Miku fans ^^; Please don't shun me. **

**Reviews are loved!**


	7. Ratings

**Crud, I read my last chapter and realized there were a ton of typos. Sorry that -_-**

**I promise to reread this one.**

**TIME TO START SHOOTING!**

"Did I make a face or something?" Rin asked, teal gaze pointed at the glaring lights in the ceiling, making me wonder how she still had twenty-twenty vision.

"I don't think so," I replied, trying to recall our first couple of minutes with the teal pop star Miku Hatsune. "Maybe it had something to do with what Meiko said." I straightened from where Rin and I were slouching in a sofa, waiting for the director to call us in to shoot Rin's video.

We were extremely excited to finally be turning the printed words into something real that we could share. But Miku certainly put a damper on things when she had snubbed us two days ago. In that time though, my sister and I had gotten together with Kaito and Meiko and we learned about some of the perks of our new life… such as the endless supply of bananas and oranges that continued to show up at our door.

"Kaito," I addressed my trench-coated friend, "What's a shota?"

Kaito started coughing uncontrollably in what appeared to be a combination of choking and laughing. Meiko – who, like our banana and oranges, had an endless amount of sake – sat laughing at Kaito, slapping him on the back. It didn't do much to assist his choking problem.

When he finally regained speech, he replied, "Don't worry about it, kid. Miku's… behavior has nothing, and I mean _nothing,_ to do with that."

Meiko seemed to sober up in as much as she could (which was admittedly not a lot) and advised, "Seriously guys, don't worry about Miss Prissy. She just has a stick up her-"

"She's just not a very friendly person," Kaito interrupted, shooting a glare at Meiko.

I was just about to ask him if he knew why when Riley called for us to go to makeup. I might as well have handed in my man card right there. But maybe I already lost that when I let Rin paint my nails the previous night. I didn't really want to ponder that anymore.

We were ushered around for an hour or so during which experienced stylists messed with our hair, fussed with our clothes, and applied and reapplied makeup until we were supposedly flawless. I thought we looked the same. Do I get my man card back?

Honestly, I shouldn't be complaining because my poor sister was put through worse – after all I was only in one or two scenes because Rin's song didn't call for my excessive presence.

I was only allowed on the actual set for about five minutes while they positioned me, got a couple shots of me standing with Rin, kissing Rin's shoe, and I was shoved off to converse with whoever I could find. I found Ty.

Ty was dressed in the exact same way I had met him – three-piece suit with a shocking tie. This one was lime green. Was his first one red? I think it was. The only difference was that Ty was now holding a coffee cup.

Ty smiled when I approached him grasping a wet towel in one hand to wipe off the makeup. "Why so sober, little prodigy?"

"I'm fine," I replied. He raised his eyebrows so I added, "Seriously, I'm having fun. It's just that…" I weighed my words, "some of the people could be a bit friendlier."

Ty chuckled which caused a few angry glances from the director and cameramen. "Kid, that's showbiz. But don't worry about it. Miku acts that way to everyone. It's nothing personal. Besides, you shouldn't be worrying about her."

"What else do I have to worry about?"

He blinked, then a pained expression crossed his face. "You have to make this video a hit. If it doesn't get at least a hundred thousand hits, I'll have to pull you guys from the company."

**Hope you guys liked that! (I really hope there aren't as many typos as there were last time)**

**Please review! They make me happy :D  
**


	8. Miku's Style

**Hey guys! Did anyone go to fanime? I was there on Sunday as Link so if you saw two girls (one Link and one Zelda) that may or may not have been me and my friend :D (Also, the new chapter in my other story, "Behind the Songs", has a chapter about an anime convention in case you're curious).**

**So let's continue from that cliff hanger that I left you with~**

My jaw dropped and the entire room seemed to fall a couple degrees. When I was finally able to find my voice, Ty's expression was sympathetic. "You mean that if this song doesn't become famous immediately, you're sending us back to the streets?"

"I'm afraid there's no other way, Kid. The company won't pay for someone who isn't going anywhere and the people upstairs get real impatient when they see money leaving, but not entering." The corners of his lips uplifted slightly. "But I wouldn't worry too much. They say that I have the best instincts for the next big stars. Did you know that I was the one who discovered Miku Hatsune? She's the biggest pop star there is right now."

That made me feel minimally better, but I now had the strongest urge to talk to Rin. I needed to know I wasn't alone in this. I thanked Ty for the heads-up, then rushed up to the set where Rin and Miku were still recording. And I froze.

I had seen some of Miku's productions since entering the world of music, but I had never watched her perform. It was astounding. She was so different from the girl who had ridiculed us the first day we met. Her expressions were so compassionate and desperate that I became trapped in the story. I wanted so badly to protect her too – even if it was from Rin.

But then the director called cut and the magic was broken. Miku's mask of indifference fell over her features once more and she gave the director a cold glare. "Why'd you stop the scene?"

The director ignored Miku's question and turned to my sister. "Rin, could we maybe get more of a… psychotic feel from you? Remember, your crush just rejected you for another girl and you want to get back at her. You're mad with jealously! Make me believe you!" He turned back to Miku, "Great job, Hatsune. Keep up the good work."

But Miku wasn't paying any attention to the director. She was scowling at Rin and Rin's eyes narrowed just as soon as she caught it. She turned away angrily and when she found me watching her, she mouthed the words, "I won't have to pretend to want to kill her."

I gave her a sympathetic smile, but left her to do her work in peace.

Rin found me later in the cafeteria devouring a piece of banana crème pie. She had changed out of her ornate dress that she had been issued for filming and was wearing a yellow half-jacket adorned with a cat-eared hood over an orange tank top and jeans.

She sat down with more force than necessary and took a sip of what I believed to be hot chocolate. I tossed her a tangerine I picked up for her from the house earlier that day and her lips turned up into a small smile.

"So filming didn't improve after I left?" I guessed.

"Nah, that's not it," she replied, piercing the skin of the tangerine with her nail. "I actually had a lot of fun. It's just that… Miku…"

"Don't worry, I get it. She's sort of a prima donna."

Rin groaned. "She's worse than that! She gets mad over every little thing! About five minutes after you left, she through a huge fuss over how her hair wasn't perfect in this one shot. We had to wait half an hour until she was ready again!"

"Do you want me to go talk to her? Maybe I can make her see some reason," I suggested, though I doubted my prowess in that area.

My twin sighed. "Don't bother about it. I can't imagine anyone that can talk sense into her. She's impossible!"

Rin's shooting finished the next day and she was so excited to see me start my filming that she was practically quivering in place.

Unfortunately, my video wasn't scheduled to start until the next morning so that meant that the cast got the rest of the day off. Rin and I decided to go out to a little pastry shop with Kaito and Meiko in celebration for our first shooting.

Kaito had a certain sort of style in his videos that no one could capture. He was sort of gentle and fierce at the same time and when his heartbroken scene came into play, I had a tough time remembering that he didn't have a girlfriend that just died. Even Meiko was amazing at acting. Despite her perpetual state of drunkenness, she pulled off fierce and vengeful without even breaking a sweat. It was almost intimidating being with all these talented people when I had yet to prove myself.

When we were leaving the studio, I suddenly stopped. "Do you guys think we should maybe invite Miku?"

"And why in god's name would we do that?" Meiko asked, incredulously, laughing.

"Maybe she just needs to warm up to us," I suggested.

Meiko laughed harder.

Kaito sighed. "You know, someone once told me that angry people are created, not born. I don't know what happened to Miku to make her the way she is, but I'm sure it must have been powerful."

Rin's hand tightened around mine.

**Sorry, not much is happening right now, but I PROMISE, a plot twist is coming soon (evil laugh).**

**You know how every time Kaiba smiles, a puppy dies? Let's apply that to reviews and how many words Miku says in Disappearance of Hatsune Miku! …translation: please review!**


	9. An Emotional Shoot

**Finally Summer's here! Maybe I'll be able to get more of these out! Sorry I haven't been updating very consistently. I'm going to really try to finish this for you guys, okay? Thank you for continuing to read this if you've stayed with me since the beginning ^^**

**Enjoy~**

"Len!" Rin called to me as I sat down in a chair beside her for the make-up artists. I groaned inwardly and wished that I was playing a more rugged character. "Kaito and Meiko can't wait until your performance!"

I smiled, reading what she was really saying… still, I wanted to hear it. "And what about you?"

For a moment, Rin was quiet. When she finally spoke, her voice shook ever so slightly. "I'm excited to see you, but I don't like your role."

Oh, I was wrong. Careful not to move too much for the sake of my make-up artists, I reached my hand out and found hers. "It's only a story."

"You can't pretend you weren't angry when you thought I was dying."

She had me there. "Never the less, it's only a story. Besides, the plot will probably inspire me."

I barely caught her reply, "Me too."

At that moment, I was thrust forward, almost hitting my head on the ledge in front of me. The beautician that had been carefully applying whatever to my face gasped in surprise and then followed with a cry of protest. Meiko grunted noncommittally, then mussed my hair. "Len, are you excited?"

"Uh… yes, but you might want to let them get back to work so that we can start?"

"Oh, right," Meiko glanced behind her and muttered a quick apology to the woman. "Well, I'll see you on the stage, Len."

As soon as Meiko had left the room, Rin asked, "Is there ever a time when she isn't intoxicated?"

"That's a very good question. We could try stealing all her sake to see what she does," I suggested.

"Or replace it all with water and see if she notices something's different," Rin countered.

It was almost like old times – my sister and I planning little things to pass the time or, more often, to survive.

Just then, the director called me in to do the shoot. On my way over to the set, I glanced at myself in a mirror and was shocked.

They had slicked my hair back so that it wasn't as spiky. They had also made me up to look so clean and, well, not what I was used to. My clothes were those of a nobleman – or a royal servant – opposed to my usual attire.

"Hey Kid," Ty greeted as I passed him. "Remember, let your feelings show on your face and in your body language." I nodded.

I stumbled over to where bright lights were being shined on a white background.

Rin stood there already and I heard the director call for quiet, then the track began. I sang along under my breath, even though I didn't need to. They would add the lyrics to the video later.

After that, my memory is vague. I remember not completely feeling the love for Miku that I was supposed to feel. I also remember not completely understanding why Rin laughed when I told her the snack would be brioche. But I nailed the air of self satisfaction when I gave myself up in place of my sister.

We had to stop at that point so that Rin and I could change costumes. The director took that opportunity to film the few shots we needed of Miku, Kaito, and Meiko. When we came back, I could already see Rin preparing for her emotional scene. For some reason, I didn't feel the need to become mentally prepared. It just came when they restarted the track.

Rin cried and I fulfilled my duty as her loyal servant – as the script was written. The final instrumental notes were played and I caught sight of Miku examining me. She had a curious expression on her face that I couldn't quite figure out. Admiration? Jealousy? Wonder? It was too vague to establish. Perhaps it was nothing more than indifference and boredom.

It was so astonishing that it brought me back to the real world. Suddenly, the castle was gone and the angry villagers didn't exist.

"Fine job, Kid. Didn't know you had it in ya," Meiko congratulated as I wiped my face free. She smiled in such a carefree way that I had to wonder how she wasn't feeling the emotion that I still couldn't shake.

Kaito came up behind me and grabbed my shoulder familiarly. "I have to say, for a first job, that was fantastic."

Rin didn't say anything. She only grasped my hand and refused to let go until we arrived back at our apartment.

Camille had walked us back, filled with nothing but praise.

As soon as the door closed, Rin released my hand, trading it for my body. She embraced me and I could feel my shirt becoming soaked with her tears.

"Rin!" I exclaimed. "Rin, it's okay! It was only a story! It's alright!"

She didn't glance up at me, just held on tighter.

I hated seeing her like this, especially when there was nothing I could protect her from. So I resorted to the next best thing and encircled her in my arms. "It's fine," I murmured, "I'm here. Don't be scared. I'll never leave you alone."

We stayed like that for a long while. Just hugging, reassured by the other's presence.

"You didn't see yourself," she finally responded.

"Huh?"

"You didn't see the expression you made when you offered to take my place as the princess," she clarified.

"And?"

"And… it was so sure. You really looked like you would die for me."

"I would," I replied without hesitation.

Rin let out another sob. "I don't want to live without you," she choked.

I drew back so that she had to look into my face. "You won't. I'm here for you. Remember? That's why we're here. We're creating a better life for ourselves. We'll always be together. Remember our promise?" I held up my locket.

She wiped her eyes clear before raising her own. Simultaneously, we flicked them open.

Despite Rin's qualms, I know that we both enjoyed shooting. It was almost as if the jobs were made for us. I couldn't believe how completely I lost myself in the song, but now that I knew of this other world with Rin, it would be difficult to isolate myself from it.

_If it doesn't get at least a hundred thousand hits, I'll have to pull you guys from the company… _ Ty's voice found its way into my thoughts.

That night, I held Rin's hand in one hand and with the other, I crossed my fingers, pleading.

**That was really emotionally charged… at least it was for me. **

**I watched Servant of Evil again in preparation for this chapter an****d yeah, I cried.**

**Just because the cake is a lie, doesn't mean the reviews have to be. Please review ^^**


	10. Teal's True Color

**Someone said something about Len's reaction to the song Imitation Black. I actually already wrote that in my other fic: "Behind the Songs". It should be chapter 1 if you're interested ^^**

**And I have to say that my favorite review was from SeaFoamPurpleCushions. Too funny!**

**By the way, I really do like Miku, it's just that her character made more sense this way while I was writing it. ^^;**

**Okay, on to the next chapter~~~~**

"And to celebrate your first songs-"

"Sake?" Kaito finished for Meiko.

She glanced at him over the alcohol. With a smile, she slammed another bottle on the table in front of him. "Have at it!"

Kaito inconspicuously nudged it back in her direction, deliberately taking another bite out of his four-flavored ice-cream cone.

We were back in the studio the next morning to see the final product of what our editors had pieced together through the night. I was worried about Rin's reaction to the video, knowing her feelings on the subject.

Upon our entrance, Meiko and Kaito had tackled us. Well, Meiko tackled us and Kaito dragged her off. They were both extremely excited to see our work and offered insight on what their first videos looked like and how they had felt about them.

While Kaito was recounting his tale, Miku came through the doors into the cafeteria (where we had retired to for ice-cream and Meiko's endless supply of alcohol).

"Good morning, Miku!" I called before I could stop myself.

She turned her gaze towards me in shock that I had acknowledged her, but made no other move to show that she cared. Then she turned back to the counter, retrieved her order that arrived in a small bowl, and strode from the room – probably back to the dressing room that she had insisted upon when she had signed a contract with our studio.

Meiko made a sound of annoyance. "That bi-"

"Big meanie!" He exclaimed, trying to be heard over the end of Meiko's sentence. He muttered something that I couldn't hear into Meiko's ear. I only caught the words 'kids' and 'language'.

Something stirred at the back of my mind and I kept finding myself glancing towards the doors out of the cafeteria. Where Miku had gone.

"Len?"

I snapped back into the conversation that had apparently been redirected towards me.

Rin stared at me, concern on her face. "Are you feeling alright?" she asked.

I blinked. "Yeah, of course. Why?"

"You look like you want to be somewhere else," she explained, hurt underlining her words. Her hand had already crept to the locket around her neck and worried the chain.

"Of course not," I denied, though I wasn't so sure. Something just felt… off. Maybe it was Rin's unhappiness at Miku's behavior or just my personality, but it didn't feel right for us to be ignoring Miku as if she didn't exist. We should at least try to get along with her. Of course, Kaito had said that he _had_ tried and it hadn't gotten him anywhere. But… There was always that but. "Rin, do you know where Camille went? I want to ask her about something."

"Yeah, I think she said she'd be in Studio B helping to prepare something with the director. I wasn't really paying attention though. Why?" My sister's eyebrows drew together questioningly.

"I just need to ask her when we'll probably find out about the ratings." The lie came to my lips unnaturally and left a tightening coil in my chest.

Rin's eyes dulled. She disliked the idea of the ratings as much as I did. "Oh, well if you want, I could go with you-"

"No," I said quickly, "That's fine. It'll only take a minute."

Her eyes narrowed, but she didn't question me further. I rose from my chair, careful not to spill my banana-flavored ice-cream, and hurried towards the doors and down the hallway.

I followed the path I had seen Miku take after each shoot and found myself in front of a plain door with cursive panels of wood spelling out Hatsune Miku. Taking a deep breath to steady my courage, I lifted my hand in a fist and knocked.

Almost immediately, a voice called, "Paula? Is that you?"

Paula was her manager and since I wasn't her, I remained where I was until Miku took the liberty to open the door herself. Her eyes narrowed into teal slits. I startled as I realized that her eyes were similar in color to my sister's and mine.

"Oh, it's you." When I didn't respond immediately, she snapped, "Well, what do you want?"

"Can I come in?"

More of the shock I had seen in the cafeteria lighted her eyes before she recovered her mask of indifference. "I suppose," she said, though I could hear the strain beneath her words.

She held the door open and I stepped into her teal wonderland. The walls and ceiling were all painted the same shade of teal that adorned her outfit – a hoodie, jeans, and lacy blouse. Headphones hung around her neck as if she had just been listening to music and was too lazy to dislodge them from herself.

A teal couch was pushed to the far wall, with a small glass table in front of it. A couple magazines and the bowl she had retrieved from the cafeteria sat atop the glass. A vanity table – larger than the couch – stood against the wall closest to the door. All the jars and tubes of beauty products all boasted the same color as the rest of the room. As Mikue closed the door behind me, I saw that even it was teal.

The only real substantial amount of color that wasn't teal came from the excess clothes that peeked out of her closet and a collage of photos tacked on the wall. In a majority of the pictures, Miku was accompanied by a girl with hair the color of cotton candy. They were together eating candy in a park, in a strip of photos from a photo booth, in yukata at a festival, at the temple for New Year's, in their school uniforms, in front of the studio with link arms. Even more surprising, Miku was smiling – more brightly than I had ever seen her smile before. I could see her growth and story through the pictures with her pink friend.

Miku noticed what was holding my attention and an uneasy expression crossed her face as she brushed past me to sit at the vanity table. "So what is it that you wanted? I hope it wasn't to come snooping through my personal belongings? Or maybe it's to put in place another of Meiko's stupid little pranks? Well?"

All the fondness that had built when I had examined her photos was suddenly pushed aside and anger roiled within me. "What's up with you? Have I done something to make you angry? Has Rin? We haven't said one bad thing to you, but you can't find it in you to offer even a warm hello?"

"I have no need for people like you to freeload off of my talent."

It was like being slapped in the face. My anger doubled and I balled my fists. "That is _not_ fair! It's no wonder you don't have any friends!" Her features transformed into rage, but I didn't stop there. "I wonder how someone even managed to deal with you as long as that girl in those photos!"

It was like being slapped in the face. For me. Because she actually did slap me in the face.

Angry tears surfaced in her eyes and escaped down her cheeks. "You don't know anything about me!" she shrieked.

I held my hand to my cheek, trying to ease the sting. "You're right. I don't know you. But I do know that Rin, Kaito, and Meiko would all accept you as a friend if you were to open yourself up like in those photos. You and that girl look so happy. I don't- I don't understand why you can't treat us with just a little bit of that friendliness."

The angry tears steadily transformed into tears of genuine hurt and desperation. "I can't," she barely whispered.

"What?"

"I _can't_!" She screamed. "I can't be happy when she's about to die! I can't allow myself to smile when she may never smile again!" Suddenly, Miku threw her arms around me and sobbed into my shirt.

**I hope that pacified you Miku Lovers at least a little bit ^^ **

**I was really eager to post this so I didn't edit. Sorry for any typos!**

**If I get more than 10 reviews for this one chapter, I'll make sure to update before next weekend ^^; **


	11. Hardships

**Thank you SO MUCH for all the reviews! They make me so happy and always encourage me to write immediately after I read them!**

**Sorry Bag o' Moon Frogs for ruining your makeup! Who did you cosplay as?**

**We're finally into the second half of the story! (there's going to be about 20 chapters)**

I was frozen. After weeks of Miku's cold, distant appearance, I didn't know how to receive this change in her. Her nails clawed into my back in desperation and her tears stained my shirt as sobs rocked through her body.

I finally regained my senses enough to comfort the distraught pop star and patted her back awkwardly.

At some point, her unintelligible sobs quieted enough for her to murmur words. "She's going to die."

"Who's going to die?" I asked in the most soothing voice I could manage.

"Luka," Miku whispered. "My best friend." She reached into her hoodie pocket and pulled out her phone. The background was of Miku and the pink-haired girl making silly faces with octopus hats on their heads. "She's in the hospital right now in a coma. She's already gotten some treatment, but her family doesn't have enough money to continue. The hospital is going to discharge her if they don't get another payment by the end of the month."

I stared at Miku, uncomprehending. She had been hiding so much pain underneath her mask. How was she able to last this long?

Without waiting for me to say anything, Miku continued. "I have to work hard. I have to help pay for the medical bill."

Something suddenly occurred to me. The memory of a poster on one of the walls in the studio… "Wait, is Luka-"

"Luka Megurine," Miku confirmed, "Yes, she's under contract with the studio too."

"So she's a singer too," I marveled, more to myself than to Miku. That meant that if we had met Miku earlier, before Luka's hospitalization, she might've been the way she had been in those pictures. Then again, Kaito had said that he'd known Miku a long time and she had never been friendly to him. Perhaps he had joined after Luka left? There were too many questions to ask that I forgot Miku was waiting for me to say something more.

In the silence, Miku had straightened herself from her vulnerable position and crossed to the couch, tears still streaming freely from her eyes. "Do you pity me?"

I blinked, shocked. "Why would I pity you?"

Miku laughed harshly. "I see. You wouldn't know how to pity. You've been welcomed here without even having to try. You never had to work to secure your position in this studio and everything probably just seems so easy! You walk around, singing through your luck all day long and it makes me sick!" Miku furiously yanked a tissue out of a tissue box on the table and wiped her eyes.

I narrowed my eyes. I had heard descriptions of my life from others before. I had heard the words 'dirty', 'poor', 'orphan', 'thief', and even 'demon', but never 'easy'.

Resentful, I turned towards the door, my hand on the handle, but before I could make myself turn it, I glanced back and said, "Did you know that I've never acted before?"

"Oh," Miku let out another bitter peel of laughter. "Now you're going to tell me how talented and gifted you are, right? Spare me."

"No," I said, wondering how I was able to control my voice to be so calm, "I'm just trying to say that what I did in the studio the other day – that wasn't acting. At least, the emotion wasn't. I've been protecting Rin my whole life and I would _give_ my life if it meant that she could live comfortably and happily. She deserves better than living on the streets and stealing food at every opportunity."

Miku's eyes went wide. "The streets?" she repeated when I didn't continue.

"Yes," I confirmed, "We were homeless orphans before we came here."

"Len…" It was weird to hear my name on her tongue. Had she never called me by my name before? "Len, I didn't kno-"

"Of course you didn't. That's because you never bothered to learn or ask or even greet me." I sighed. "What I'm trying to say here is that you're not the only one who has hardships to deal with. The difference between you and me is that you refuse to accept the support available to you." My lips shifted into a small smile as I held out my hand. "What do you say? Would you like to start over?"

A fresh torrent of tears spilled over her cheeks and she reached out one hand towards mine, but as soon as hers made contact with mine, she yanked me into a hug and held tight.

Just as the first time she embraced me, I froze. But it only took me a second to correct myself this time and I hugged her back.

**I really hope you guys liked that! I know I enjoyed writing it! **

**If it's not too selfish, I'd like to hear your reactions to the change in Miku's personality! Please review!**

**Oh, and I'm going to be leaving for a month for a camp, but there is internet so if I'm lucky I'll be able to update again soon ^^ (better chance of an update with a review)**


	12. Miku's Second Chance

**I'm going to have to leave for camp soon, but I'll make sure to update as soon as possible! Thanks so much for the reviews!**

"Len, I really don't think-"

I nudged Miku a couple more inches closer to the double doors that led into the cafeteria. "Don't worry! Everything's going to be fine."

I tried to convince Miku to come meet everyone sooner, but she had refused for several days straight, worrying about my friends' reactions. So when we watched the videos that the editors had put together, she pretended as if nothing had changed and I pretended like I couldn't find Camille. The songs had even been released and circulated. It had taken over a week to finally persuade her to talk to them and even then, she was reluctant.

"B- but Len, what if-" she stuttered as her hand hesitantly pushed the door open.

"No! No ifs. Open the doors and-"

"_Len_!" Rin called excitedly – almost relieved. "We were all wonder where you went! Where did you go?" My sister's voice became progressively quieter as I edged Miku into the cafeteria and the smile on her face became strained. "Oh, um… Hi Miku."

"Hi." Miku raised her hand in a reclusive wave.

Realizing that I probably was expected to make a move, I attempted introductions. "So I'm sure you guys all know Miku…" Wow that was awkward. "She's going to be hanging out with us a bit more now and… uh…" I trailed off because as the words rolled off my tongue, even I didn't believe them. They didn't express all the feelings that I had just begun to understand. I opened my mouth to start again, but Miku beat me to it.

"I know I've been less than friendly, but I really hope you can give me a second chance. Please? I'm sorry," she added nervously, giving a little bow.

Kaito, Meiko, and Rin stared at her in shock. Wait… Rin was staring at me. What? Was there something on my face? My hand subconsciously reached up to brush imaginary crumbs from my face.

Miku shifted her weight to her other leg uncomfortably.

Finally Meiko broke the silence. "'less than friendly', huh? That's quite an understatement." Then she broke into laughter. "Well, as long as you keep your pretty pop star hands off my sake, you can hang with us!"

Miku joined Meiko's laughter with a hesitant giggle.

Kaito finally lifted the corners of his mouth into a withdrawn grin. "Well, everyone deserves a second chance. Take a seat." He gestured to the chair beside him. "I hope you don't mind overly loud drunks too much, otherwise you might have a problem with Meiko here."

"She certainly has a lot of energy," Miku agreed.

Satisfied, I took my seat across from them with Rin. Without a word, her hand slipped into mine and she turned to Miku. "So if you don't mind my asking, what brought on this change of heart?"

I was surprised to hear a tone of resentment in my sister's voice. I would've thought that she'd be happy that she didn't have to worry about Miku's snide comments any longer. In fact, with as much influence Miku held, Rin and I could've been one step closer to a permanent residence. So where was all this malice coming from?

Miku's face went red. "Well I-"

At that moment, the doors burst open. Ty, stood in the doorway holding up an envelope. Camille, Paula, and the managers of Kaito and Meiko stood close behind him along with Riley, Devon, and Ty. All of the faces that represented this new world we had stumbled into.

Ty raised the hand with the envelope in it and said, "The ratings just came in."

**I hope you enjoyed that and I hope you enjoyed the cliffhanger! (Okay, I know you didn't. Sorry.)**

**Meiko is to sake as I am to my desire for reviews. Please review!**


	13. Results

**I'm back from camp and I had the best time of my life! **

**Also, a couple friends and I started a dancing channel on youtube! If you like Bad Apple and Love and Joy and things of that nature, please support us! Our username is "Nelements"! Thank you so much!**

**I hope you like this next chapter! **

Meiko stood up with a whoop. "Finally! Been waiting all week for this!"

Kaito leaned forward, a smile on his face. His excitement was clear, but contained.

Miku sat up straighter. No smile.

That was when I realized it. Our friends didn't know that whatever was in the envelope would affect our entire lives. Kaito and Meiko's reactions made that obvious. If they knew that this could be the last time they saw us, they wouldn't act that way… right?

For a second I thought that maybe Miku was aware of our deal with Ty, but I quickly dismissed that. Miku wasn't smiling because this was work and she took work seriously. And because the numbers in every envelope she was related to translated into an amount of money that could save her best friend's life.

I didn't need to look at Rin to know what her face looked like. She would wear a mask of indifference just in case the results were bad. She wouldn't let herself cry in front of all these people. The only sign she showed was the death grip she held my hand with. I didn't mind. I was responding in the exact same way.

Scanning the faces of the line of managers behind Ty, I noticed that only a few were aware of the possible outcomes. I saw Camille twiddle her thumbs nervously. Devon kept blinking, as if he couldn't bear to see us go after he worked so hard to find a line of work for us. Riley didn't show any sign of knowledge, but I had a feeling that he knew.

Ty met my gaze unflinchingly. That was who he was after all. He cared about his clients, but he would do what he had to do. Still, I thought I could see pain just behind his eyes.

Riley pulled another table up beside ours and everyone stole chairs from surrounding tables so that we were all sitting in a circle.

Ty took the seat to my left.

"Well, let's see them," Kaito prompted after about five seconds of silence.

Ty held the envelope out to me. "You two want to open it?"

I stared at the deep yellow of the paper and reached my hand out, but I couldn't make myself take it.

Rin's hand reached over me and took it, positioning the envelope in between us. She gave my right hand one last squeeze before we both took a deep breath, lifted the flap with our thumbs, and pinched the stack of paper inside between our fingers.

I looked at her.

She looked at me.

We slid the stack of paper out.

We stared at the text for a moment, trying to make sense of them. Which number were we supposed to be looking at? Rin flipped the first page down and we were faced with a bar graph. On the third page was a pie chart.

After two minutes of fruitless search went by, Meiko became impatient. "Well?"

I handed Ty the sheets, sparing him from having to glance over my shoulder. He immediately found it. "Well it's not where we thought it would be, that's for sure."

My heart sunk.

Riley snatched the stack, scanning. His eyes went wide. "These almost beat Miku's World is Mine."

Miku held her hand out for the papers and Paula fetched them for her.

Her eyes bugged. She flipped through the pages, her eyes growing wider with every passing second. "A million for each?"

I couldn't move. A million? For each? That was way more than we needed. My breath came in short gasps. The only thing that tethered my sanity to the world was Rin's hand, but she was losing herself as well.

I was only able to snap out of it when Ty's hand came down on my shoulder.

I looked up past his lemon-yellow tie and into his face. He was smiling.

Whoops of delight and triumph circled the table. I saw Meiko popping open another bottle of sake in celebration and passing them around to anyone who accepted. Kaito was suggesting that everyone go to an ice cream parlor. Each of the four managers along with Miku poured over the sheets, bringing out calculators and notebooks to tally the earnings.

I had thought that the turning point in our lives had been when Ty discovered us, but at that moment, glancing around the table at the faces of the friends we had made, I knew that it was the news of our ratings that was the real turning point because it meant that the change was permanent.

**I really really hope you all liked it! **

**Thank you so much for reading! Any thoughts about what's going to happen next? Post in a review!**


	14. Happy at Last?

**Hi guys! Sorry for sort of dropping off the face of the planet for a while… I hope you'll forgive me! My muse ran away, but I think I've found her again ^^;**

"Sake! Sake! Sake for everyone!"

As Meiko threw back another cup of sake, it dawned on me how often we had been celebrating in the past month. Or maybe I was only thinking about how often Meiko had been drinking sake in celebration. In that case, we were in perpetual celebration.

Either way, this time felt real. The producers, managers, and even Miku joined us in celebration this time. We had a ton of food brought out and someone was able to get a speaker into the cafeteria to play our new hit songs through the room.

I was less excited about the ratings than I was about what they meant for me and Rin. We were finally safe. Security was a foreign concept to us and now… well, it felt good. We would never go hungry on the streets, never need to steal again, always have enough money to- wait.

"Ty?"

"Yeah kid?"

"Does this mean we have to pay for our apartment now?"

Ty examined his sake cup. "Yeah, but I wouldn't worry about it if I were you. With the royalties you're going to get, you have nothing to worry about."

"Royalties?"

Satisfied with the cup, he tossed back the sake. "Sure," he said after swallowing, "Do you remember the documents you signed with Camille?"

I thought about it for a second. "Kind of. I didn't actually read them though."

He stared at me for a second, waiting for a punch line. When it didn't come, he burst out laughing and said, "You're lucky I'm not like all the other corporate scumbags in this industry, Kid."

"That's true. You dress better." I gestured to his tie which was now neon orange.

He laughed again.

"But seriously," I added, "Thanks."

"No problem."

At that moment, Ty's phone began ringing. I wasn't very surprised to hear that his ringtone was a song of Miku's. World is Mine? Or was it Love is War? Something like that. I'd heard it earlier that week anyway. He excused himself from the table to take the call.

"Len?"

I turned to see Miku holding out a banana to me. I took it. "Thanks."

"Sure. So what are your plans now that you're officially one of us?" She raised her eyebrows.

"One of us?" I repeated. "It was only today that you talked to the rest of us!"

She blushed deep red – a stark contrast against her teal hair.

I was gripped by uncontrollable laughter. Miku grew even redder which had me laughing harder. Finally when I calmed down enough to breathe, Miku said, "I meant part of the studio."

"Oh. I don't know. What should I do?"

"Well, hasn't there ever been anything that you've wanted desperately?"

I frowned, thinking hard. "I already have everything I've always wanted. I have a bed to sleep in every night, enough food, and a safe place for Rin. I don't need anything else."

Miku smiled. "You're easy to please."

I returned her smile, but was distracted when Rin's familiar hand slipped into mine. I turned to her, the smile still on my face, but when I saw Rin's expression, my smile fell away.

"What's wrong?"

"Nothing."

"You proved yourself wrong just by the way you said that."

She shrugged noncommittally.

"Aren't you happy?"

"I know I should be."

A sinking feeling gripped my chest. "But you aren't?" What was the point then? If Rin wasn't happy, what was this all for?

A slight shake of her head.

I couldn't do anything beyond staring at her. What did she mean she wasn't happy? We had everything we'd ever wanted. What more could I give her? As I ruminated, Rin raised her gaze to meet mine. She smiled, but it didn't quite touch her eyes. The sinking feeling in my chest turned into a freezing feeling.

The loud slamming of a sake bottle against a table made us flinch. I glanced around for the culprit, my eyes landing on Ty. He held up his phone triumphantly, a grin on his face.

"Announcement everyone!" he called. "They want more! The studio high ups just okayed an insane budget for the making of five more songs! One for each of you!" Ty swept his arm in an arc that touched me, Rin, Meiko, Kaito, and Miku.

A beat of silence before the room erupted into cheers again.

More food was ordered and passed around as well as some dancing from Meiko. I watched Rin while she chatted with Camille about something that made her laugh. She seemed to be back to her old self. But if there was even the slightest reason for her to be unhappy, I would find it.

**Thank you SO MUCH for staying with me even though I sort of left you guys for a while! I promise I'm going to finish this story!**

**Honestly, the reason I decided to write the next chapter was because I recently received a review about someone who watched one of my videos on youtube (I'm part of a dancing group on youtube called Nelements. PLEASE LOOK US UP). Reviews keep me writing and motivated! Please review! ^^; **


	15. Forever and Always

**Hey guys! Thank you so much for reading! I didn't think I would get that many hits when I uploaded the last chapter ^^; So this needs to be said again: THANK YOU SO MUCH FOR STICKING WITH ME! You are the reason I write!**

**By the way, I just rewatched Spirited Away with a bunch of friends and did anyone else notice how many times she fell? I think we hit 16 on our fall count o_O**

**Enjoy~**

The next week was fairly uneventful. Ty wanted us to do a little photo shoot – mostly just silhouettes and face shots for the cover of our debut song. Camille also had us sign something to let the studio create Rin and Len official merchandise – dolls, buttons, stationary, posters, ect. It didn't show at first, but when Rin and I took a short stroll through a local park, we attracted a decent amount of attention. At least, if the phrase 'decent amount of attention' was synonymous with tons of fans screaming as you hightailed it back to your apartment, fearing for your life.

The songs that we were promised were still in production so we were sort of on vacation. At least, Rin and I were on vacation. Meiko, Miku, and Kaito's songs were all to the tune of Rin's Daughter of Evil so all they had to wait for was a rewrite of the lyrics. They were all busy filming while Rin and I explored the crevices of the recording studio. After we had found Meiko's stash of sake and had replaced it all with water, we found a stairwell that led to the roof of the studio. It was as good a hideout as any and, if our predictions were correct, we wouldn't want to be in the studio when Meiko found out about our little prank.

The sun was steadily creeping towards the horizon and Rin and I took up leisurely positions to watch the sunset. We had packed a small picnic of sandwiches and fruit (I bet you can guess what kind they were by now).

I had been watching my sister carefully these past few days. She had seemed completely normal save for one lapse. She had asked if I wanted to accompany her downtown for some crepes. I had asked her if it was possible for me to just quickly pop into the studio to catch a glimpse of the shooting. She had asked whose video was being shot. I replied that it was Miku's and-

Wait. Wait a second. Could that be why…

I figured it out.

"Rin?"

"Hmm?" She asked around a bite of tangerine.

"Do you remember what we were talking about before? When the results came back about our first two songs?"

Her hand was halfway to her mouth with another slice of fruit, but it paused and dropped back into her lap. "I do remember something like that…"

"I- I don't want to jump to any conclusions, but-"

"Yes."

I was taken aback by her abruptness. "What?"

She raised her gaze to meet mine. I saw my eyes staring back at me, but instead of being confused, hers were full on confidence and... fear? "Yes, Miku bothers me."

"How did you-"

"Know?" she finished for me. "Because I know you and you know me."

I swallowed uneasily. "Well um… what is it about her that bothers you?"

"She's…" her voice trailed off uneasily.

"What?"

Rin shook her head, a tear escaping her eye and trailing down her cheek.

I grasped both her hands in both of mine. "Tell me," I pleaded.

Rin raised our joined hands and leaned her forehead on them. "She's taking you away from me."

For a moment, I was too stunned to react, then I laughed. It was probably one of the worst possible reactions for that scenario, but I couldn't help it. The thought was just too incredulous. I was able to choke the sound quickly, but it didn't matter. Rin had obviously heard and now glared at me through tearful eyes.

"What's so funny?" She demanded, yanking her hands back from mine.

That brought another spasm of laughter back. "Just- just the thought," I said between laughs.

"What?" she said again, more loudly.

I was finally able to calm down and, with the laughing smile still on my face, I threw my arm around her shoulders and pulled her into a hug. "There's no way anyone could take me away from you. Ever." When I saw her expression, I repeated, "Ever."

"For real?"

"Forever." I pulled the musical locket out from under my shirt and flicked it open so that its harmony began to play.

Rin took hers out too, but didn't open it. Instead, she stroked the treble cleft printed on the outside and, without looking at me, said, "Do you promise?"

I took her hands again and pressed my thumb over hers so that her locket opened just when mine was rerunning from the beginning. "Rin Kagamine, I promise to always be in your life forever and always."

She let her head drop onto my shoulder and we watched the sunset from the studio's roof, our lockets playing their song in perfect synchronization.

**Thank you for reading and I hope you enjoyed the chapter!**

**I also hope that everyone is happy with how Rin's 'jealousy' turned out.**

**Every review I receive makes me want to write the next chapter even more! Please review!**


	16. The Short End of the Stick

**Hey guys, I realize I haven't uploaded in forever. My life distracted me, but I'm back for the summer and hopefully that'll be long enough to get this story DONE. **

**Enjoy~**

"Which number track is it?"

I took the mp3 from Rin and scrolled through the listed songs, searching for the instrumental versions of the new songs we'd accepted. The lyrics were supposed to be delivered to our apartment later that day.

Speaking of, Kaito, Meiko, Rin, and I were lounging in our apartment. Miku had agreed to drop by as soon as she made a quick visit at the hospital. While my sister and I song-searched, Meiko and Kaito were in another of their famous arguments.

"Oh my god, you're so full of s-"

"Sake?" Kaito finished for her. "No, that would be you. That's _always_ you."

As if to prove his point, Meiko took a long swig from her bottle and then leaped forward, pointing at Kaito and altogether invading his personal space. "That may be the case, Prince of Blue, but you have to admit that the Daughter of Vengeance is way more tragic of a character!"

"I was raised to tell the truth." Kaito pushed away Meiko's invasive finger. "And the truth is that the Prince of Blue had a sadder backstory!"

"My character grew up a peasant, had all her stuff extorted by the evil queen-"

"Princess," Rin corrected absentmindedly, eyes still on the little screen positioned in between us.

Meiko didn't spare her a glance, but acknowledged the correction. "Right, right, princess, whatever. All her stuff was taken by the princess _including_ her lover!"

"Well the Prince of Blue had his lover killed too! He was so grief-stricken he had to start a war over her!"

"At least he _had_ means to get revenge! My character had to put her life at risk to get revenge!"

"The evil queen gave your character a purpose for living. She took my character's away!"

Meiko looked insulted. "What kind of a crap argument is that?"

I finally found the right soundtrack and pressed play. It was Rin's sequel to Daughter of Evil. Camille had told us that it would be titled "Message of Regret". The song began with the sound of waves lapping against the beach which would have been soothing if it weren't for-

"The Daughter of Vengeance eventually got her revenge! I think your story ended _happily_ in comparison to mine!" Kaito shouted.

"But that's what you don't understand!" Meiko replied, also shouting. "The Daughter of Vengeance gave everything to the queen. First she gave all her material possessions, then her lover, and in the end she lost herself. The minute the princess, well, the servant, died, the Daughter of Vengeance ceased being herself. She was nothing at the end of the story."

Meiko's words hung in the air a moment. Kaito was silent. He had nothing to combat that.

Rin and I burst into laughter, ruining the smooth cadence of the song that was playing through our shared earphones.

"I don't know Kaito, I think Meiko's got you beat," Rin said. "But to tell you the truth, I think I beat both of you out." She threw me a smug smile that I returned. She was stirring the pot.

Meiko and Kaito fought to get their arguments heard.

"How could you-"

"There's no way-"

"You can't possibly believe that-"

"How could you even _think_-"

Finally both of them turned to me. "_Len_!"

I stared at the three of them, Meiko and Kaito leaning towards me earnestly, Rin lounging beside me, humor in her eyes. "Um… yes?"

"Whose backstory is worse?" Kaito and Meiko asked, comical desperation in their voices.

"Um…"

At that opportune moment, the doorbell rang. I launched myself off the couch.

It was Miku. She had a binder under her arm and a coffee cup in her hand. "Hey Len, how's it-"

"_MIKU!_"

I was promptly shoved backwards as Meiko and Kaito rushed to have their opinions heard first.

Rin steadied me before I hit a table or a chair or some other piece of furniture with corners. "Look what you've done," I said, shaking my head.

Rin shrugged. "You disapprove?"

I glanced at the red and blue pair, gesticulating wildly at Miku's stunned expression. I smiled. "You do good work."

Rin nodded, satisfied, but then sighed. "It's not like I wasn't telling the truth."

"What do you mean?"

"My character's story is the saddest. At the end anyway."

"Oh yeah? How do you figure?"

Rin opened her mouth to answer, but Miku pushed her way through Kaito and Meiko's human wall and, in a voice that was made for a stage, said, "Okay, after reviewing the evidence, I have come to a conclusion."

Kaito and Meiko seemed about ready to tackle her for the answer.

"I've decided," she said, drawing out the moment, "that both of your characters got out of this conflict relatively easy."

"_What_?!"

"Well yeah. Look at my character. She was raised, knowing that every moment of her life was going to lead to her death. She knew that her life and death would lead to war. She _knew_ that everything she did otherwise wouldn't matter because in the end, she wouldn't get to live her own life. Even when she fell in love, she couldn't follow her heart. She had to pretend to love the Prince of Blue so that the plan that had been in place since before she was born would succeed. She even had to watch the agony on the servant's face as he killed her. How anyone could do that is beyond me."

Miku had made a solid argument. Meiko and Kaito were stumped. Finally, Rin said, "So you vote for yourself too?"

Miku looked at her. "I didn't say that. The Daughter of Green's story is sad, true, but not the worst. I pick the Daughter of Evil."

"What? Why?" Kaito demanded.

Miku didn't glance away from Rin. "If you grew up with someone that close to you and then ended up losing him… I can't imagine what that would feel like." In that moment, I felt like the eye contact between Miku and my sister was more than just _seeing_. They were communicating something deeper than simple acknowledgment.

The connection lasted a couple seconds before Rin turned away, smiling. Miku mirrored the smile and turned to Kaito. "Besides, she was also the reason for her servant's death. Who would be able to live with that? Especially after losing the one she loved romantically too."

Meiko frowned. "Okay, Popstar. You win." Her eyes lit with sudden realization. "But what about me and Kaito? Which of ours is worse?"

"It's definitely mine," Kaito said.

"It's definitely no-"

Miku cut Meiko off. "While nothing would please me more than to settle your little disputes, I'm here on a business mission." She turned to me and held the binder out. "I ran into Camille on my way out of the studio. She told me to pass this to you if I got the chance."

I took the binder and flipped it open. There were some of the edited photos from the photo shoot a couple days ago, an updated copy of the ratings from our first songs, a couple newspaper clippings about our debut, and finally…

"Message of Regret," Rin murmured.

I disconnected the earphones so everyone could hear and restarted the instrumental track. The song was about the Daughter of Evil after her servant's death. She basically ends up making a wish that, when she was reborn, she'd be reborn with the servant again. I liked it. It mirrored how Rin and I felt about each other perfectly. Forever and always.

My second song, Re_Birthday, was the perfect conclusion to the saga. It was a recounting of how my character was released from the sins of his life and how he finally was reborn alongside everyone again, but this time under happy circumstances rather than warfare and deadly love triangles.

When the final note of my song played, I glanced up to see tears streaming down everyone's faces. I was mildly surprised to find that I was crying too.

I looked back down at the lyrics in front of me and realized what we were all listening to.

Somewhere along the line, we had become a family. Miku, Kaito, Meiko, Rin, and me. We were a family now, and when our deaths finally forced us apart, we all hoped to one day find each other again. This connection – this bond… it couldn't just end. Even after death, we'd find a way back to each other.

We had to.

**We're in the final stretch, guys! There's four more chapters (well, three more chapters and an epilogue)! **

**I hope you enjoyed it!**

**Out of curiosity, what did you guys think of Rin's and Miku's glance-versation?**


	17. Paula's Message

**Hey guys! Just a quick little note: I realize that there are more songs in the DOE series than I listed, but when I was introduced to the series, I only knew about the ones I wrote about so um… sorry if that upsets you? I suppose I could write something about the others in "Behind the Songs" later if you guys want ^^;**

**Anyways, here's the chapter~**

"So you've never actually been a part of an idol group?" Rin asked Miku.

We were all in Miku's dressing room in the studio. Kaito and Meiko were shocked the first time Miku suggested we visit her there after our shootings for 'Message of Regret' and 'Re_Birthday' which were currently being edited by Riley's elite team.

Miku shrugged. "No, in fact the only duets I've ever done have been with Luka." She gestured towards the pictures on her wall. I smiled. Compared to the first time I had talked to her about Luka, Miku was really open. Before, she wouldn't even mention Luka by name, but over the past few weeks, we'd gotten to know the pink-haired pop star through Miku's anecdotes.

"She was the one who sang magnet with you, right?" Kaito asked.

Miku nodded. "Yeah." She glanced over at me and Rin. We were tangled together in a chair that was normally meant for one person. "Actually, I bet the studio will ask you guys to do a cover of it, you being twins and all."

"What's it about?" I asked.

Meiko and Kaito turned to stare at us.

"What?" Rin and I asked together.

Miku broke first, her chiming laughter filling the room. Meiko and Kaito joined her quickly.

"What?" we demanded.

They laughed harder.

"If you're not going to say-"

Miku waved me off. "It's not important. If they ask, they ask. If they don't, then never mind."

"But-"

There was a knock on the door just then. "Miku?"

"It's open!"

Paula, Miku's manager let herself in. She looked flushed, as if she ran the whole way.

"What's wrong?" Miku asked, frowning.

Paula glanced around the room, realizing for the first time that Miku hadn't been alone.

"You can say it in front of them," Miku assured her.

Paula refocused on Miku. "The hospital just called," Paula said, "about Luka."

Miku stood up. She kept her expression neutral, but her eyes betrayed her anxiety. "What did they say?"

"She's awake."

**Wow, I think this is the shortest chapter so far o_O Well, I hope you enjoyed it ^^ **


End file.
